Hundreds of children are believed to have been kidnapped in Africa and brought to Britain for brutal voodoo rituals, a UN watchdog said Thursday, urging London to step up its fight against the scourge.

"We're concerned about reports that hundreds of children have been abducted from their families in Africa and trafficked to the UK, especially London, for religious rituals," said Kristen Sandberg, head of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

"They are used in so-called voodoo rituals, and are also raped and sexually abused. The number of convictions is extremely low," said the former Norwegian supreme court judge.

British police are reported to have recorded scores of cases over the past decade of children who have faced torture and abuse as part of witchcraft rituals....

Sandberg said child trafficking for rituals was part of a wider problem, with thousands of minors brought into Britain every year for sexual exploitation and labour.

The UN committee is made of up 18 independent experts who monitor the implementation of international children's rights treaties.

DA's child abuse detectives, police conduct countywide child pornography sweep in Berks Liz Kilmer, Reporter Jun 19 2014
READING, Pa. - A respected brain surgeon was among the group of 12 men and one teenager arrested Thursday in a child pornography sweep across Berks County. "Possessing images of child sexual abuse is a heinous crime and will not be tolerated in Berks County," said District Attorney John Adams.